Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Goulet-Osorio
Hi Laura, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Laura Valentina I’m 26 years old, i’m a mom of a beautiful 15 month old girl named Gabby, and currently co -owner of a company named Heavenly Escapes Charleston Picnics and Events.
I was born in Colombia, South America, and lived there for 19 years, and then I moved here to the US to reunite with my family after finishing my College education in Veterinary Medicine.
What shaped me into the woman i am today? I can say that not an easy path. After many changes and stages i’ve been in my life i had to go through some rough times and a lot of work not only in my career, but personally, spiritually, financially and morally.
I have to say that i wasn’t born in a very wealthy family and my parents had to do their best they could in a country with a very tough economy to raise me and my two sisters, and we struggled for so many years… and i’m so grateful for all the sacrifices they made to give us a life so the promise of giving them back all of that sacrifice and give my daughter and future kids the life they deserve has been the biggest motor of my life.
Since we got in the USA, our family goal is to build the life we couldn’t have in our country. But of course not everyone understands this, so we’ve lost so many family and friends on the way (specially back in our country) and that for sure shapes your character.
But this country has given so many opportunities to us, and this land is for sure a blessing for us. We have been blessed with new friends, new unexpected conections, business opportunities, an amazing husband and a beautiful baby girl so eveything at the end feels so worth it.
So i can say i’ve been building myself and my future based on all this experiences that God has brought to us, a lot of learned lesssons after the mistakes i made on the way (some of them honestly HUGE), some heart breaks, grief, but at the same time a lot of blessings, and perfect family, amazing people, great moments, financial stabilty, and the best of it all: Motherhood.
Between all those blessings, my family and I, we got into this beautiful business: Heavenly Escapes Charleston, that has been truly amazing for us, and its been growing so much the last year and i’m so proud of all the growth it has given to us a people too. It hasn’t been easy but it has been magical and an amazing experience. So in all honesty i am not the same Laura that got here to the United states, and i thank her and i hug her cause that girl needed a lot of work and after so many things in life, both good and bad, and after three or four different Laura’s, i’m now here fighting for this family, fighting for this business, and fighting for a beautiful future.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
ABSOLUTELY NOT. AT ALL. Not in the business, not personally, not in any aspect of my life. I love honesty and i have to say, God! Life is hard. But its so worth it.
I struggled with the cultural changes a lot and how it affected the way i was connecting with people. I struggled with the emotional load of the lost people in the way, and how some of our friends and family were disappearing after we left our country, and some of them even blamed us for it cause not everyone can understand the challenges you face as an immigrant.
I struggled for some time as i grieved some lost souls, my past life, my career back in my country and i have to admit i grieved over a lost romantic relationship for. a very long time that i honestly thought i wasn’t going to be able to get to a proper closure. And i’m currently struggling with the lost of the center of this family, my grandma that passed away recently.
And all of this personal things reflect 100% on your professional life, so my business was paused for a long time while i was dealing with all this issues, i paused one of my goals of getting my Vet title here in the USA, and it honestly reflected on my physical health too, leading to a lot of health issues, postpartum depression and separation anxiety from my baby.
So it’s not easy at all, but Oh Lord, it’s worth it! And resilient souls can overcome anything.
We’ve been impressed with Heavenly Escapes Charleston Picnics and Events , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
“Bringing a little piece of heaven to earth, just for you.” Was the idea we wanted to build in this business. So we started a company that takes care of all the special moments our clients have to make it perfect and simply HEAVENLY. So to resume our services, we offer Luxury picnic services in any location you can dream off for special events like proposals, anniversaries, birthdays, romantic getaways, bacherolette parties, business presentations, and now we have specialized people to make our service even more complete and we expanded to the event/wedding planning industry, so we have capacity to offer FULL LUXURY SERVICE events, for any kind of ocassion, meaning corporate events, weddings, quinceaneras, birthday parties, babyshowers or gender reveals, etc.
What makes us different? Pricing. As a bride that was in every single facebook group for brides in a budget, i understand the importance of having every detail covered in the budget our client has, being a very generous budget or maybe a conservative one, we can make it happen and still give a luxury experience to our clients. So we make completely personalized quotes, and we make sure our client gets the heavenly experience that they dream off, in the price they are looking for.
We also train our colaborators constantly to make sure we can offer top-notch services, according to the last trends and the different ideas our client has.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I said it before, and i’ll say it again: It’s not easy, but it will be worth it!
The best advice i can give after my experiences is: don’t let your personal issues get on the way of the plans you have for your business. Sometimes it can get hard to ignore all the noise that so many different problems are making in your head, but you have to stay focused if you want to succeed. Work hard on yourself on your faith, on your goals, physically, mentally and emotionally, and stay focused. All the sacrifices, and all the hard work will pay back, i can promise you that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heavenlyescapescharleston.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heavenlyescapescharleston
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15mc6gemjL/
- Other: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Heavenly+Escapes+Charleston+Picnics+and+Events/@32.8422003,-79.9779916,11z/
Image Credits
Mellisa Rae Photography
Steven P. Ramos
Carrie Patricia Studios
Laura Goulet Photography
